The combination of a noon start against the Cleveland Indians and the mental strain of the prodigious June push that thrust them into first place were the catalysts for a decidedly watered down lineup on a sun-splashed Wednesday at Dodger Stadium.

Adrian Gonzalez, Yasiel Puig and Juan Uribe were all out of the starting lineup, and Hanley Ramirez’s calf and shoulder aren’t yet fit enough to withstand a full nine innings.

Gonzalez is dealing with some neck soreness — although it’s not expected to significantly set him back. Puig just needed a breather and Uribe is being handled with extra care since coming off the disabled list last week.

Ramirez, meanwhile, is facing a Thursday drop date on whether to spend the next two weeks on the disabled list.

That meant the Dodgers B team taking the field against the Indians, with back-ups Clint Robinson, Scott Van Slyke, Carlos Triunfel and Miguel Rojas figuring prominently. The batting order was so out of whack, catcher A.J. Ellis was in the two hole.

“Just one of those days,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. “We’ve been going at it pretty hard.”

Other than the pockets of colorfully clad summer-camp kids planted throughout Chavez Ravine — most of whom seemed too happy to be there to even notice who was missing — and starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu, who had to take on the Indians without four key starters, everyone seemed fine with Mattingly handing out days off like they were free samples at Costco.

Not that he was officially punting on a chance to take the rubber game in the three-game series against the Indians.

Ryu did his part, giving up just a pair of runs over seven strong innings, and left wth a one-run lead.

But it all went sideways in the eighth when Brian Wilson issued three walks, two hits and three earned runs to help set the Indians up for a 5-4 win.

Just one of those days indeed.

Still, in the game-within-the-game of a brutally long season that might need all 162 games to finally separate the Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants, Mattingly understands a healthy, mentally sharp club over the long haul trumps the immediate danger of an incomplete lineup against the Indians in early July.

In fact, Mattingly identified the game months ago as a potential recliner chair some of his stars could chill out in, what with the first pitch scheduled for noon following a night game the day before.

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“I knew this game was coming,” Mattingly said.

And that was before the neck soreness that plagued Gonzalez last season resurfaced and some of Puig’s recent at-bats crying out for an off day.

Better to recharge Puig’s batteries now rather than pay a more serious consequence later in the season.

Mattingly has been around Gonzalez long enough to know if you don’t step in with a day off, the All-Star first baseman is liable to grind himself right into a wall.

“If you let him go too far it sets him back,” Mattingly said.

So, with apologies to all those kids who showed up Wednesday to watch their heroes, that meant one-day breaks for Puig, Gonzalez and Uribe — although all three made appearances, as did Ramirez.

Call it preventative medicine for a club that flipped the script on its season last month by making up 9½ games on the Giants to take over first place.

In doing so, it widened their lens to capture a much bigger picture.

No longer concerned with catching the Giants, the Dodgers’ focus now shifts to preparing for a lengthy pennant chase.

Of which health and endurance is a prominent factor.

And that means the kind of days off that Gonzalez, Puig and Uribe took Wednesday.

“One hundred sixty-two games is a lot of baseball,” said Mattingly, who played 14 years in the big leagues. “It wears you down. You know that as a player, what it does to you. And you never forget.”

Of greater concern is Ramirez, a talent so dominant he can tilt a field in his team’s favor for weeks at a time. Ramirez helped carry the Dodgers to the National League Championship series last season, but when Cardinals pitcher Joe Kelly drilled him in the ribs with a fastball in Game 1 of the NLCS — severely limiting Ramirez the rest of the series — the Dodgers were essentially done.

On the other hand, he’s never shown a capacity to rise above nicks and bruises, so it’s essential the Dodgers get him as right as possible as they barrel toward an anticipated pennant race with the Giants.

“We’re trying to get Hanley as healthy as possible,” Mattingly said.

So much so they are contemplating shutting him down with a disabled list stint, a decision that might become official within the next two days.

It’s something the Dodgers hoped to avoid, but they might not have a choice.

For one, it will mean Mattingly having a full, healthy roster to play with until Ramirez gets back. And just as importantly, it will mean Ramirez focusing only on mending his calf and shoulder.

Wednesday’s missed start was his eighth in the last nine games — the lone start lasting just two innings last Saturday — and he’s made just two pinch-hitting appearances this week.

The limited availability has severely handcuffed Mattingly’s game-planning while diluting Ramirez’s efforts. By simultaneously trying to get ready to play every day and get healthy, he might be shortchanging himself.

If he goes to the disabled list, all his focus will be on getting his body right.

It will mean 10 games without one of their best players, but the trade-off might be worth it.

For the Dodgers, it’s all about the long haul.

Even if it means jeopardizing short-term goals to enhance long-term benefits.